Though the idea for the St. Lawrence Seaway dates back to the late 1800s, it was not until May 13, 1954 when the Wiley-Dander Seaway Act was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower that this important waterway became a reality. The Act authorized the U.S. government to work jointly with the government of Canada to create a deep-water 114-mile navigation channel in the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Ogdensburg, New York. The seaway enabled large ships and tankers to sail directly from the Atlantic Ocean to Duluth, Minnesota on the Great Lakes. The completed seaway resulted in lower costs for shipping goods to and from the Midwest.

The St. Lawrence Waterway: A Study in Politics and Diplomacy by William R. Willoughby, The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, 1961.

The Seaway Story by Carleton Mabee, The Macmillan Company, New York, 1961.

Report to the Congress of the United States: Audit of Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation for the Period July 1, 1959, through December 31, 1960 by the Comptroller General of the United States, January 1962.